What does a craving for hot peppers mean?

I have wondered what a craving for hot peppers means. Supposedly they help with asthma. Anyone care to speculate why we crave them? From your own feelings or from scientific studies.

Does anyone else carry a mini bottle of Tobasco in their pockets?

Also have periodic cravings for eggplants, which shouldn't be too surprising since they are in the same family. Come to think of it, my favorite sandwich is melted cheddar cheese with tomatoes [placed on it AFTER the cheese is melted] which is much better IMHO than pizza.

Always wondered if it had any relation to the fact that I have allergies to most things and asthma...

They cause the release endorphins (not sure i spelled that correctly) by your body which causes a natural high situation so thats how they could be linked being addictive. Ok now try to google to see if i can find something:
ok found what i was looking for
" People that eat lots of spicy capsaicin-rich foods build up a tolerance to it. The incentive: Once a person has become somewhat desensitized to the extreme heat of the "hotter" Chiles, he or she can starts on a new culinary journey. Not being over powered by the heat factor, the palate now has the ability to explore the many diverse flavors offered by the myriad of different Chiles that are currently available from around the world. Also for some Chile-Heads a good jolt of capsaicin excites the nervous system into producing endorphins, which promote a pleasant sense of well-being that can last several hours. The endorphin lift or "high", makes spicy foods mildly addictive and for some, an obsession. "

I crave tomatoes too--all day, every day, more than chocolates or candy--and I think peppers fall into the same category.

In addition to the heat, and the lovely endorphin rushes that result, it could be the wonderful vitamins in these Solanaceae fruit that causes cravings.

Maybe it's the same drive that wants fast calories from sweets that wants fast vitamins in one small, tasty package. At some point during our evolution, I think we developed cravings for the highly nutritious or caloric foods that helped us survive.

Endorphins (or more correctly Endomorphines) are endogenous opioid biochemical compounds. They are peptides produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in vertebrates, and they resemble the opiates in their abilities to produce analgesia and a sense of well-being. In other words, they might work as "natural pain killers."

I read, somewhere, that if you are allergic to
some foods they will make you "crave" them. I'm allergic
to Citrus and would eat oranges every day, BUT the
Lupus Like symptoms I get from them discourage mass
consumption. You may be allergic to members of the
tomato, eggplant, pepper, group.

You crave them because your an idiot.
That what my wife tells me atleast.
I know Im going to be needing to pack my butt in ice cream the next day and Ill sweat up a storm wiping my brow with every bite and complain about the heat and burn the whole time, but still reach for another bite.
My wife just says Im an idiot and a glutton for punishment, since she is always right (she told me so and if I didnt belive her I could just ask her and she would tell me again), I have to assume your an idiot too.

Yeah, what we do is cold smoke with your faviorite brand of wood and or spices like a dash of Rosemary or Basil and then finish them off in a food dehydrator of a real low oven till they are nice and dry and then take a good spice grinder and turn them into a powder.

It's great stuff to have in a little shaker bottle when you need to boost the heat level.

Plus if you do some large batches you can also use one of those vaccume sealers and seal and freeze the larger part of it so it will last a long time.

Safety note...Best do the grinding outside as there's a little blow back when grinding, powdered peppers are just like tear gas, fact is powdered Habenero has been banned in 19 countries by the Geneva convention.

the original post got my attention. Deansfba mentioned having asthma and craving both peppers and tomato...

I buy Trappeys pickled Tabasco peppers and put 4 to 6 whole peppers into vegetable soup. Jalapenos are usually too mild for me. I love Habanero hot sauces also, but the Tabasco seems to hit home for me, Serrano coming in second best. I also crave V-8 juice and will drink 32 oz at a time. I also put Rotel diced tomato with green chilies into the vegetable soup!

I have really wondered why I developed this craving and like Deansfba, I also have a breathing issue. I was diagnosed with Emphysema 4 years ago. I also have developed high blood pressure as a complication to the Emphysema. I have pondered the thought of this craving being related to the lung disease or blood pressure issue. Ive always liked peppers, but never "needed" to eat them daily until getting this illness.